Life is Like a Box of Chocolates (except when it’s not)

 Sony A7r, Canon EF 24-105L, f/13, 8.0 s, ISO 100

Yesterday was a Forest Gump kind of day.  Noting that there would be a full moon rising, just after the sunset, I planned to get out to try to capture a nice image at one of my favorite places, the Chesapeake & Ohio National Historic Park,  which is just a short drive from my home.  However, things got off to a not so good start.  I had recently made an “upgrade” to my Sony a7R camera, or so I thought.  I always try to remember to take a test shot just before leaving for a shoot to make sure the camera is ready to go.  There is nothing worse than traveling to a favorite place, finding it to be more beautiful than you could ever imagine, and then discovering that you left your memory card at home or there is no battery in the camera!  It was a good thing I took the test shot, or more accurately tried to take a test shot, because that is when I found out that the camera didn’t work with the upgrade installed.  I won’t go into detail here but suffice it to say I was disappointed and in a bit of a panic because I did not have much time to solve this problem and was tempted to abandon my plans.  As a last ditch effort, I decided to undo the “upgrade” and re-install the original parts.   Fortunately I did not listen to the manufacturer’s representative on the Youtube video who said to “…give the old parts to the cat to play with!”  It was a huge relief when I turned the camera on and it was back to normal!

With the camera problem fixed, I set out to go look for a nice spot to photograph the rising full moon.  Unfortunately, the delay left less time to do some exploring and choose a composition.  I was hoping to find a spot that would allow me to first shoot the sunset and then quickly recompose for the moon rise.  I also had to be concerned with the landscape between my location and the moon because I knew I could only stay until about 30 minutes after sunset because I had another commitment later in the evening.  The moon would have to rise high enough to clear any obstacles in its path before I could see it from my location.  With little time to explore, I chose a spot on top of a large rocky outcropping hoping to minimize the angle from my perch to the top of the ridge in front of me.  If I had more time, I probably would have looked for an even better spot.

As it turned out, the moon did not clear the ridge before it was time to leave for my next engagement and I didn’t get the shot I had envisioned.   Sometimes it goes that way.  Although I didn’t get the image I went out to get, my efforts were rewarded with a nice winter sunset and dusk.  There were a few wispy clouds that took on subtle pastel colors that were reflected by the water of the Potomac River.   I was also treated to the sight of a meteorite streaking through the twilight sky and the atmosphere was further enhanced by the ducks that would occasionally come whizzing by and landing in  the water below.   Looking back, I don’t know where I would have ended up if I did not have the delay caused by the camera problem and it’s quite possible my evening would not have turned out as good as it did.  Sometimes obstacles are exactly what I need to get me to look at things differently.

It turned out to be a great evening.  You just never know what you are going to get.

Sony a7R

 

New Year and High Hopes

 

Potomac River, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park, Potomac, MD

24mm, f/16, 1.3 sec, ISO 100

Sony A7r, Canon 28-104/F4L, Metabones IV adapter, RRS TVC-24L Tripod with BH-40 Ballhead

 

Happy New Year to all! Wanting to start the new year of on a good note, I decided to go for a short hike, with Lucy, on the Billy Goat Trail along the Maryland side of the Potomac River near the District of Columbia. When we arrived there were throngs of cars and people at the parking area and lining the adjacent road.  Like us, they were there to enjoy the crisp, sunny first day of the year.  However, since it was late afternoon, the crowds began to thin out and we were able to enjoy relative peace and quiet as we walked on the trail. Once we were about a mile away from the parking lot, there were only a few hikers and the only sound was the gurgling of the water in the small riffles and cascades of the river. As the sun set, the sky took on some nice muted colors which were reflected in calm portions of the flowing river. We stayed for a while after watching the colors change before beginning the return walk through the darkening forest back to the car. As we listened to an owl hoot, I commented to Lucy that the new year was off to a good start. She just wagged her tail.